Category: Society

No One Should Die in a War/ There are Some Things Worth Dying For

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Both Statements are True. Reflections on Memorial Day

About Memorial Day

Yesterday, many of us took some time to reflect on Memorial Day. Most of us likely did the usual things. We put out a flag in the morning. We reflected on those we knew and lost to combat. Perhaps we attended a Memorial Day service.

I did all three of those things. I was fortunate enough to attend an excellent Memorial Day service in my community. The homily was provided by a friend, Rev. Jeanne Finan. I mention this because Jeanne also writes one heck of a good blog – entertaining and informative.

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Music Has Charms to Soothe the Savage Beast- or to Rock On

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Reflections on Music in Our Lives

 

Music as Culture, Art, Meditation, and Communication

This blog focused on music somewhat in a posting some months ago, but as America begins to emerge from COVID isolation, this seems a good time for some additional, different reflections. The quote about the charms of music in the title of today’s blog is certainly true – and it has a long history. The wording varies a bit in its historical variations.

Many think Shakespeare is the author. Au, Contraire! It is largely agreed by historians that the author of the version we have heard over the years was 17thCentury poet William Congreve,

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Adaptation, Survival, and Happy Endings

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Family Restaurant -1, Pandemic – 0

Setting the Scene

As mentioned earlier in this space, we took a bit of a regional trip a couple of weeks ago. At our first overnight stop, we went restaurant hunting online. This was not a town known for fine dining, but we found an Italian place that had lots of good comments and hey, good Italian is pretty simple cuisine, so we decided to give them a try.

We made an online reservation, got both an online and text confirmation and we were ready to go. A day or so prior,

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“This is a Fight for the Soul of a Party” – Really?

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I Wish Them Luck, But I Think That Train Has Left the Station

OK, I Feel Sad But Vindicated

For over two years now, I have been in the chorus singing that the Republican party we all once new was dead. That real conservatives needed to face the facts and build something new.

This week 100 prominent Republicans said pretty much the same thing. They seem a bit divided on strategy but have laid out two basic options. More on that in a moment. And by the way, even if you are a dedicated Democrat,

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We Found America – At Least Some of It

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 A Limited Peek – With More Good News Than Bad

 

On the Road – At Last

 I noted a few days ago that we were about to launch on our first road trip since the pandemic broke out. As noted, we were careful all along the way, as this fearsome thing is not yet defeated. We were careful where we went, ate, and lodged.

By the end, we had travelled through four states, visiting about half a dozen urban areas and some seriously rural areas. We logged about 1500 miles, travelling in the South East and the Deep South.

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Allow Me to Entertain AND Educate You

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Part of Our Hey! Look at That! Science and Technology Series

Good and Fun Stuff to Know

 There is an old lament that there is nothing good on TV. I still have friends that are proud that they do not have a TV (although many sort of cheat by streaming). There was a time that was true, but it really is no longer accurate. This is something of a golden age of TV. The challenge now is keeping track of all the good stuff out there from so many good outlets.

The same is true for print/electronic media.

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A Year Ago, We Set Out Benchmarks for a New Administration

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So, How are They Measuring Up on Our To-Do List?

 

Our Hopes in Early 2020

We had no idea in the JAN-MAR 2020 timeframe who would be the US President by this time. We hoped it would be just about anyone except He Whose Name Shall Not Be Spoken. With that hope in mind, this blog listed, over a period of the first quarter of 2020, a set of goals that we hoped a new administration would pursue. One list was of legislative goals, the other a list of political reforms.

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Gone to Look for America

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We are Gingerly Stepping Out to See America

A First Post Isolation Trip

After a year of staying close to home, my spouse and I are about to launch on a trip of a few days. The pandemic is not over – caution remains the keynote. This is a driving trip – seems reckless to us at this point to be in airports if not absolutely necessary. The places we are lodging all have  solid COVID protocols in place. We are dining only in places that take precautions seriously. So, all in all, seems a reasonable risk at this point.

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What is Killing Americans?

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Behind the Headlines, Death Stalks Us in the Most Mundane Ways

 

Well, This Sounds Like a Cheerful Blog Post

OK, you are right. Not the most cheerful conversation we have shared here. But bear with me a bit. This is worthy of a few words and a bit of reflection by all of us. I have some bad news to share. But the solutions are more readily in hand than one might hope. If we choose to use them. Read on, friend.

Local Media Tells the Story

Whoever said that variety is the spice of life had it right.

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A Mars – Venus View on Polishing

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Differences in How Men and Women Choose to Shine

 

Polishing is Not Just for Appearance

The whole idea of “polishing” oneself is an interesting concept. It is, of course, about more than appearance. There is a phycological and social aspect to this as well. More on that a bit later, but for now, just keep in mind that people go to varying levels of effort to polish their appearance for a lot of reasons, most of them perfectly fine.

Much of the rest of this posting will address men and women as separate groups.

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